Aquarium Maintenance Services…Who Should Start One?
by Duane Clark
Aquaserve Aquarium Publications
Aquarticles
It's funny how once someone really becomes involved in the aquarium hobby it almost
always 'snowballs' into something bigger. One tank turns into two and two to three and so
on. Sometimes, the following question comes to mind: "How can this hobby help pay for
itself?" or even better, provide an income? Two common ideas are breeding fish or
starting an aquarium maintenance service. Breeding fish can certainly help pay for your
hobby but running an aquarium maintenance service can actually generate profit. However,
before you run off to start your own service, you must consider a few things.
Determine Your Motivation
What is your motivation for starting an aquarium maintenance service? Do you want to
simply pay for your hobby or do you want to make a profit? How much time are you willing
to dedicate to this venture? If your intent is only to make a few bucks and you can only
devote a small number of hours per week, then running a part time maintenance service
would the best choice. However, if your part-time service is successful and you are
willing to take the risk of starting your own business, then running a maintenance service
full time would be a perfectly good choice. Stephen Allen of Aquatic Creations, located in
Mobile, Alabama, has done the later. Steve currently operates a very successful, full time
maintenance service that specializes in Live Reef aquariums. Steve started his business as
a college student to help pay his bills. Aquatic Creations is now a flourishing business
that services the Mobile Bay area. How do he and others do it?
Research the Market and the Competition
Is there a need for an aquarium maintenance service in your area? Visit with local
business owners, doctors' offices, etc. How many have aquariums and does anyone currently
maintain them? If they don't have an aquarium, would they be interested in having one
installed?
During the researching process it is important to identify potential competitors. Do
not be deterred by the apparent success of other service providers. They may be successful
because they don't have any competitors. If they can have success, so can you. If they
don't appear to be thriving, that shouldn't be a discouragement either. Their services may
be mismanaged or they may not be aggressively looking for new clients.
One of the most often asked questions is "Should local aquarium stores be
considered competition?". The answer is…it depends. If the local stores in your
area provide maintenance services, then they should be viewed as competitors. If they know
you are running a service that may be competing for the same customers, don't think for a
minute that they won't consider you as the competition. However, many local stores have no
desire to get into the aquarium maintenance business. Rather than being a competitor, a
shop of this kind can actually be a business ally.
Getting Started…the Necessities
The first thing you will need to get started is a business license. Unless you plan to
sell merchandise from a retail location, the cost of the license is miniscule…around
$2 to $5 per year in most areas. You will not need a special tax identification number for
sales tax, etc, unless you plan to sell actual products. In that case, you will need to
contact your local and state governments to set up a sales tax account.
Gathering all of the necessary equipment that will be needed to run your service is
simple. Most of the equipment needed can probably be found in your personal
"stash" of equipment that you have acquired through the years. Things such as
buckets, hoses, algae scrapers, testing kits, brushes, towels, etc will be needed. In
addition to these items, it is also a good idea to invest in a good canister filter that
can be taken from site to site. You may also want to consider purchasing a portable diatom
filter for 'polishing' your client's aquarium water. If you are starting from scratch with
absolutely no equipment, you can plan to spend $100 to $200 .
The largest investment you will put into your new business will be in the form of what
I call 'business essentials'. This includes business cards, brochures, letterhead
stationary and advertising. Some of these are optional although highly recommended.
Business cards, on the other hand, are an absolute must. According to Steve at Aquatic
Creations, purchasing business cards is the most important step anyone can take when
starting a new service. For around $35, it is possible to print 500, one color, business
cards. If more colors are desired, then the price will increase but it cannot be
overstated that a professional looking business card will often be the most important
factor in gaining a potential customer's attention.
Obtaining professional looking letterhead is almost as important as the business cards.
You will use your letterhead for sales letters, business correspondence, sales promotions,
etc. It is important that professionalism is conveyed to all potential customers. You
don't want to give the impression that you are just a guy or gal with a bucket and hose.
This is a business and should be marketed as such. The other business essentials such as
brochures and advertisements are not required but they go a long way in getting your name
out to the public. Plan on spending anywhere from $50 to $500 depending on whether or not
you make your own brochures and advertisements or have a professional take care of it for
you.
Your personal appearance and that of your employees is a very important detail that
should not be overlooked. I certainly would not suggest a coat and tie, but some sort of
T-shirt or preferably a golf shirt with your company name and or logo should be worn.
T-shirts with simple pocket embroidery will cost between $10 and $12 per shirt.
Embroidered golf shirts will cost around $15 to $19 per shirt. The rest of the
"uniform" is up to you but try to stay away from the fish-print
Bermudas…those never go over well.
Finally, before you ever enter a client's facility, do not step in the door without
some type of liability or damaged property insurance. No matter how careful one may be
while servicing an aquarium, accidents can happen. Nothing will end your business endeavor
more quickly than a lawsuit for damaged property. It should be noted that insurance is not
required but as with all things, it is better to be safe than sorry. It is hard to say
what you can expect to pay for your insurance because the policy prices vary with
different insurance providers.
Liability. Since we are on the subject, you may be wondering what type of
liability you would be responsible for that would require an insurance policy. First, it
is important to know that it is just good business practice to have some type of basic
liability insurance. It gives the customer and you a sense of security. It also adds
credibility to your business. Having said that, always include some form of liability
disclaimer against fish and livestock deaths as well as aquarium leaks and other
collateral damage caused by leaks. This is not to say you should not take responsibility
for any damage you may directly cause but fish will die and leaks will occur that will not
be caused by anything you do.
New Clients
The greatest challenge in starting an aquarium maintenance service is finding clients. The
business essentials mentioned earlier will help but another point should be made. Steve at
Aquatic Creations started his service by allowing a local pet store to pass out his
business cards. He also gave a stack of cards to each of his friends. What did this
accomplish? By finding different outlets to distribute his cards, he essentially turned
his friends and the local pet store into free sales reps. As a result of passing out his
cards, each person was endorsing his service. There is no greater sales tool than that.
Anyone trying to find new customers for their new aquarium maintenance service should
remember this…personal contact is the best way to market a business like this.
Positive contact made between a potential customer and others that recommend your service
is truly a priceless commodity.
Customer Service...What It's All About
If finding new clients is the most challenging aspect of this business, keeping them is a
close second. Depending on your local area, business can become very competitive if you
are not the only service provider. Keeping your clients happy involves much more than
simply cleaning their aquariums. It is important to go "that extra mile" as I
tell others, when discussing how to maintain their existing client base. To go that extra
mile, good aquarium service providers must make concessions for their customers. This
involves flexible service hours and "on call" availability. For example,
restaurants often close at extremely late hours. They don't want someone pulling hoses or
buckets through the dining room when their customers are eating. As a result, they will
often request late or "off hour" times for their aquariums to be serviced. Full
time aquarium maintenance services may not have a difficult time accommodating this type
of request but part timers may have some problems. In this case, weekends are often
scheduled when other jobs or responsibilities are not as great an issue. I also mentioned
"on call" availability. By this I mean…buy a beeper! Customers can and will
call at the strangest times. Not to schedule appointments but to ask questions or report
some type of emergency. From leaking tanks to major fish kills, you will be the first one
your customers will call if there is a problem with their aquarium. If you are not
available, they will find someone else…guaranteed!
Pricing
Establishing an appropriate price for your services can be fairly subjective. A couple of
factors come into play that will influence your prices. Your competitors' prices will help
set the base line for what others will pay for your services. In addition, the image you
present to potential customers will also influence what others will be willing to pay. For
example, suppose you were shopping for a new car. You find two identical cars that are
both mechanically sound. However, one has a huge dent in the hood. Which of the two cars
would you is more likely purchase and possibly pay more money? Unless you are a
cheapskate, you would probably select the car without the huge dent. The same principle is
true for your aquarium service.
The price of a first visit to a new customer should be based on an hourly rate. The
rate you charge is up to you but, as a rule, don't charge less than $20 an hour. Once the
customer decides to use your service on a continued basis, the rates change. It is
recommended that you switch from an hourly rate to a 'volume rate'. The standard charge is
$1 per gallon with a minimum of $20. Rates may also vary depending on any maintenance
programs you wish to start. For example, you may offer a monthly service agreement that
includes weekly maintenance visits that would cost less per visit than if the client hired
you on a per needed basis. The specific details of how to come up with a monthly
maintenance program is not within the scope of this article but this should give you an
idea of some of the various pricing options.
To Sell or Not to Sell
At some point, most people will ask "should I sell aquarium supplies and fish as part
of my business?" The answer is a definite maybe. Without a doubt, extreme caution
should be exercised when first starting out. Large sums of money are required to properly
purchase enough merchandise and fish to supply potential customers. In addition, you will
be forced to spend much of your time trying to sell all of livestock and merchandise you
bought. However, if you can afford the added cost and risk, the potential for greater
income and profit increases.
You will find that as your service grows, some of your customers may request supplies
and livestock from you rather than the local pet shop. It becomes an issue trust for them.
It's safer for them to get all of their aquarium supplies from the person maintaining
their aquarium than from the store down the street. If this happens to you, you may want
to consider expanding your business.
Many aquarium services, such as Aquatic Creations, operate from an aquarium storefront.
This certainly makes it easier to sell aquarium products. It also adds many more
responsibilities that otherwise would not exist. Responsibilities such as other employees,
store maintenance, hours of operation, etc. all become daily issues. In Steve Allen's
words, "Things have become much more complicated since I opened the store."
The Best Advice
This article is not meant to be "the only source of information you'll ever need to
start an aquarium maintenance service," but it is meant to give some valuable advice
that will help you decide if this is something you might want to do. The best advice I or
anyone can give is this: ask yourself if you want to turn your hobby into a business and
are you willing to dedicate a little money and a lot of time to make it work. If the
answer is no or I'm not sure, you probably should take some time and enjoy your hobby. Who
knows, you might decide to try it later when the time is right. If the answer is yes,
however, then jump in with both feet and go for it. If you are excited about the idea of
your business and are willing to put forth the effort, then you are on your way to an
exciting and profitable journey into yet another aspect of this wonderful hobby.
If you need more information on how to get started, the following list of sources will
be very helpful:
www.aquaserve.com
www.thekrib.com
www.aquariacentral.com
www.aqualink.com
Aquarium Fish Magazine
Tropical Fish Hobbyist
Freshwater & Marine Aquarium Magazine
Written by: Duane Clark. 1210 Colonial Hills Dr., Mobile. Al 36695
334-607-9988 aquaserve@aol.com
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